Academic Catalog: Leadership
The leadership program focuses on developing, equipping and encouraging men and women to be effective leaders in the body of Christ. Embracing church, parachurch, and cross-cultural contexts of ministry, the department challenges students to broaden their ministry perspectives. Students are taught to understand and develop their own leadership style as well as to develop their own philosophy of leadership and ministry based upon solid theological, philosophical and leadership principles. Students personalize their curriculum by choosing classes from various specialized areas of ministry, focusing on their personal and professional development.
LD 501 Theological and Theoretical Foundations for Leadership
Focuses on helping students formulate a biblical foundation for leadership coupled with the latest research findings in the field of leadership practice and development. Examined are the basic functions of leadership required across different organizations and cultural contexts and helps students to discover their gifts, leadership style, and specific skills in leadership. MDiv students with a concentration in leadership should take LD 501 instead of PME 702. Offered fall semesters. Three hours.
LD 511 Strategy for Leadership Development
Helps leaders develop the philosophy, methods, and skills for identifying emerging leaders in diverse cultural contexts and preparing them to assume expanding leadership responsibilities. Students learn how to assess leadership development needs and examine options to meet those needs. The course requires students to plan and execute a leadership training experience relevant to the leadership development needs in a specific organizational and cultural context. Suggested prerequisite: LD 501 Theological and Theoretical Foundations for Leadership. Offered fall semesters. Three hours.
LD 521 Management for Leaders
The purpose of this course is to enable leaders to develop and manage effective organizational structures with a focus on creative problem solving, wise decision-making, strategic planning, managing human resources, and providing administrative effectiveness within the context of organizational constitutions and bylaws. Suggested prerequisite: LD 501 Theological and Theoretical Foundations for Leadership. Offered fall semesters. Three hours.
LD 601 The Personal Life of the Christian Leader
When leaders fail, there are devastating consequences in their personal lives, families, areas of ministry, and the community. This course examines the integrity and spiritual vitality required to be a godly leader. Students will be given opportunities to grow in intimacy with God. The learning environment for deepening a love for God will include not only classroom interaction but also a practicum. Offered fall semesters. Two hours.
LD 611 Mobilizing and Equipping Volunteers
The purpose of this class is to train leaders from church and parachurch organizations to promote an environment that mobilizes volunteers. This class focuses on the practical application of methods to recruit, select, train, and motivate people. Two hours.
LD 612 Stewardship and Resource Development
This course helps leaders understand biblical principles for successful fundraising. It explores theological and professional publications and examines case studies. Students are required to develop a personal philosophy of stewardship and prepare a resource development plan for an organization or church. Offered intersession. Two hours.
LD 620 Christian Community Development
This course provides students with exposure to and practice in Christian Community Development (CCD). Included are site visits to operating CCD ministries and interaction with Christian community developers both in the classroom and in their service locations. The course requirements include attendance and participation in the annual CCDA conference, held at various locations in the
LD 631 Handling Conflict and Change in Intercultural Contexts
This course trains leaders to prepare people for change within an organization, to assess readiness for change, and to appropriately implement strategies for change. It also emphasizes the importance of building healthy relationships based upon strategies for building organizational trust and managing conflict within culturally diverse contexts. Suggested prerequisite: LD 501 Theological and Theoretical Foundations for Leadership. May also credit as an intercultural ministry elective. Offered spring semesters. Two hours.
LD 642 Organizational Community Building
This course helps leaders promote and develop a healthy organizational culture where people connect with each other. It examines how individuals develop interdependent relationships that serve the needs of individuals as well as the organization. Two hours.
LD 651 Legal Issues for the Christian Leader
Helps leaders protect their organization or church from lawsuits and develop a practical approach for handling a variety of legal issues. Emphasis is on the evolving body of law regarding such matters as organizational formation, registration, governance of nonprofit corporations, liability prevention, contracting, privacy, counseling liabilities, principles of insurance, intellectual property rights, employment, and other human resource matters. Two hours.
LD 661 Leading Teams
This course helps leaders develop a theological and managerial approach for developing and leading teams. Students will develop a strategy to build a team for a specific organization or ministry of their choice. Two hours.
LD 671 Systems Thinking and Decision-Making
This course provides an introduction to systems theory and helps leaders to develop a wholistic approach to gathering and organizing information, solving problems, making decisions, and implementing plans. Two hours.
LD 590, 690, 790 Studies in Leadership
These course numbers are reserved for courses of special or one-time interest that do not otherwise appear in the catalog or courses designed to free the student for independent investigation in leadership under the guidance of a professor. One to three hours.
LD 794 Leadership in Action
The purpose of this seminar is to help leaders learn a repeatable process for organizational problem solving. Each student is required to conduct a leadership action research project. The project should initiate a collaborative change effort in an organization by diagnosing a problem, researching the problem, developing an action plan based on the diagnosis and research, and designing an evaluation plan to be conducted after making the change. If there is adequate time and organizational approval, the project may include actual implementation of the action plan. The project is completed by writing a written report and giving an oral presentation of the project to seminar participants. This seminar is reserved for leadership students in their final year of study who have completed most of their leadership courses. Pre- or corequisites: LD 501 Theological and Theoretical Foundations for Leadership; LD 511 Strategy for Leadership Development; LD 521 Management for Leaders; IM 621 Communicating and Leading in Intercultural Contexts; and LD 631 Handling Conflict and Change in Intercultural Contexts. Offered fall and spring semesters. Two hours.
Return to the Course Descriptions Main Page
Return to the Intercultural Ministry Course Descriptions
View the Messianic Judaism Course Descriptions
